Finding Aslan In England
by HarryPotter'sgirl17
Summary: Peter Pevensie is feeling bitter about being exiled from Narnia when he is shown she hasn't forgotten about her eldest King... Rated 'M' to be safe.
1. Normal Again

**Chapter One: Normal Again**

I, Peter Pevensie, have been wandering the halls of Dr. Diggory Kirke's house, a constant summer vacation spot ever since the war, trying not to feel too bitter at the turn of events my life has taken. It had gone from horrible, to absolutely wonderful, right back to horrible again and I was trying not to lash out at everyone from all the anger I was feeling.

What caused my foul mood? It was a long story, but I'll try to sum it up here:

I had been a King of Narnia, a wonderful, magical place that had everything from talking animals to tree spirits that danced in moonlit meadows as fauns played beautiful melodies. We, me along with my brother and two sisters, had been rulers of that wondrous world for many years before we had returned to our own world, the exact moment that we had left it.

The following weeks after our return, the four of us had talked of nothing but our glorious, special Narnia; the places we had been, the people-and animals-we had met, how they all were doing, how they would react to the four of us gone and when, if, or how, we would return.

Lucy, the youngest of us and the first to visit Narnia, had spent every night after our return going back to the wardrobe on the second floor. Every night, she would return, sad faced and shaking her head, to inform us that she could not get to the wood again.

Edmund would than tackle her and tickle her mercilessly until she would cry out for someone to save her, and then we would make it into a game of saving a Narnian Queen from the dreadful Ice Giant. I always thought it was funny that Edmund was an 'Ice Giant', what with him being only a few inches taller than Lucy, despite the two years that separated their age.

Susan was just beginning to question whether or not we really had gone to another world or whether it was some game of make believe when the most wonderful thing had happened: Narnia called us again.

It had happened at a train station; where I had gotten into **another** fight and Edmund had come to help yet again. I had been angry at everything; the fact that I couldn't go back to Narnia, that I was stuck being plain old Peter instead of Peter the Magnificent and that I couldn't tell anyone all of my fears and frustrations without sounding like a complete nutter.

I had lashed out at Edmund, telling him I was perfectly capable of handling it myself and didn't need his help; he looked hurt for a moment before shrugging it off and siting next to Susan on the bench as Lucy, sensing trouble, started talking about some nonsense to cheer us all up.

Then it happened; a sudden tug and an absence of sound that told us something extraordinary was about to happen. Lucy, either picking up on my mounting excitement or feeling her own glee overwhelm her, eagerly told everyone to hold hands so they wouldn't get separated. I was all too eager to agree, giving her hand a little extra squeeze I was sure she understood.

Yet, this trip was different; for even though it had been only a few months between the times we had left and arrived, thousands of years had passed, meaning everyone we had known, cared for, and grown with were all gone and buried. It took a few moments for the shock of it all to settle in.

We didn't have much time to reminisce, for almost immediately were we thrust into another adventure; with supplanting Kings, another war, royal duels, and the fear of the White Witch to deal with.

I shivered, remembering the feeling of that cool, eager voice crawling down my spine as she promised everything I ever wanted; to be a King again, to never have to leave Narnia again, all in exchange for a drop of blood. I was so close to giving in when Edmund stepped in and helped me again.

As the White Witch once again was sent to the hole where she belonged, I met Edmund's eyes and saw the King he had been, the King I thought, feared, had vanished over the time we had spent in England and I realized something; he missed it all too, he knew what I felt about living in England and longing for Narnia, he knew what it felt like to be surrounded by ordinary people and know that you had been part of something greater. I also realized in that moment he was a far greater King than I.

Watching Caspian's coronation was a bittersweet memory for me; for it meant that Narnia was once again entering a Golden Year of peace and prosperity, but it was also when Aslan told us that we, Susan and I, would not return to Narnia, for we had grown too old.

It was a slap in the face to me, for I had been exalted that we were able to come again and believed that we would continue to do so on and on as long as we pleased. To have to be exiled because I was _**too old**_ hit me hard and my actions following were the furthest from Kingly you could have seen.

I raged against it; furious that a simple thing like my age was keeping me from the most glorious place I knew, I locked myself in my room, swearing I would never leave again and that if I died of starvation-Lucy brought that up on my second day in my room with no food-at least I would die in Narnia.

Caspian visited me shortly after that, whether he was called or came on his own I never thought to ask, and I cringe to remember how cruel I was to him; I blamed him for calling us, to bring us back just to hear that we would never come again, and I told him that he never would be as good a King as we were, if he was any good at all.

He listened to my little fit, staying quiet until the very end, when he asked me a question that was completely off topic and even threw me a little; "What do you believe happens when you die?"

I could only sit there in a sullen fury, weak and irritable from my tantrum and my self imposed starvation. I didn't want to riddle through nonsense with him, I wanted to **stay**. "What are you talking about, Caspian? Why does that matter right now?"

"**I** believe," Caspian continued, his voice calm despite my slanderous outburst and general childishness, "that you are taken to a place that you were the happiest in your life. The place that gave you the greatest joy."

I sat there and let his words sink in, let the thought mull around in my brain as I gaped at the door that separated the two of us. "Are you saying that Narnia could be my... Heaven?"

"Yes," was all he said before I heard the chair he was sitting on, the chair Lucy had moved so she could watch over me, scrape against the floor as he arose and informed my sister that she could return to her place and that he hoped I would come out soon, for he needed our help with some of the prisoners we had captured.

I did leave the room, but it wasn't until much later that day. I had been giving a lot to think bout and I needed time to fit it all in my head. Lucy, the motherly girl that she was and still is, leapt for joy when I opened the door and asked her if she would ask some one to prepare me some lunch

Walking through the doorway Aslan had erected between our worlds was one of the hardest things I ever had to do and was one of the worst; the only thing that gave me the courage to take that single step, to not drown in the despair that I would never see my beautiful kingdom again was Caspian's words and the soft breeze of air Aslan breathed on my face before I stepped forward.

Standing back on the station a few moments later, Lucy pressed against my side and Susan's hand on my shoulder with Edmund giving me that crooked smile that means he's trying not to cry, I felt some of that peace that Aslan breathed into me return; I was not alone, I had my family with me. We would get through this, together.

The train whistle broke us out of our silent musings, alerting us that it was time to return to our own world. Sighing, I picked up my suitcase, mentally preparing myself for my return to England.

Little did I know that Narnia, and Aslan, weren't finished with us just yet.


	2. Seperate Paths

**Chapter Two: Separate Paths**

The years passed slowly for me and my siblings after the hustle and bustle of being in a **second** war in a magical land. At least, it went by slowly for Susan and me, Lucy and Edmund were another story altogether.

My younger sibling were trying not to be obvious about their joy and many attempts to return to Narnia and Alsan, but after finding Lucy in a wardrobe for the fifth time while playing 'Hide-and-Seek' I decided to quit choosing that game as a way to relieve our boredom. Lucy looked sheepish when I told her that, but it didn't stop her from visiting that wardrobe every time we stayed at Professor Kirke's house.

"Maybe Aslan changed the way to get in," I had overheard Edmund whisper to Lucy before they realized I was standing nearby, "So Peter and Susan don't try to go back that way, even though they aren't allowed-"

"I don't think Peter and Susan would do that!" Lucy interrupted coldly; probably insulted that Edmund would even consider that thought, which made me smile from my hiding spot.

"I know **Peter** wouldn't," Edmund was quick to confirm, moments before they looked up and saw me, "He's honorable that way, but I'm not so sure about Su-"

So the Great Hunt for The Way to Narnia began in earnest, much to my muted amusement and slight envy. It didn't surprise me that they only tried it at Professor Kirke's house and only in the latter part of the day. I **was** grateful, however, that they choose to do so on the random days that Susan either retired early or left the house.

They had apologized profusely every time I had come upon them looking for a way into Narnia, which was often, the funniest was Edmund squeezing his tall, gangly body under the sink, and had only stopped when I told them I was happy that they, at least, could still go and that they kept their search away from our sister. I had gotten over my childish grudge that they could still journey to Narnia and was focused on a much more pressing problem: Susan.

Susan had done what we believed to be the unthinkable in the following years after our second visit to our magical world; she had forgotten about Narnia.

She had finally decided that it was just a game we had played when we were younger, a game of make-believe we made up because we were bored. Now her days were filled with make-up, parties and boys, boys, **boys**. As upset as I was with her trying to pretend that Narnia wasn't real, I didn't blame her and it was because of what happened just the week before…

_I had been walking past her bedroom on my way to the lavatory when I saw that her door was ajar. She normally kept her door locked tight against us and the rest of the world so I went closer, to see if there was something wrong, when a strange, mewling sound started coming from her open doorway. Having heard that sound plenty of times when I was comforting Lucy after our first return from Narnia, I knew what Susan was doing. I immediately entered her room without the pretense of knocking._

_There she was, curled up on her bed like she was six again and someone had called her a nasty name, her shoulders shaking as she wept as if her world had ended._

_"Susan…?" was all I got out before she threw herself at me, nearly knocking the two of us over with the bed bumping into my backside as she poured all of her woes and tears unto my shoulder._

_"I can't stand it anymore, Peter!" She bawled, her face rubbing into my shoulder and leaving a trail of color as she shook her head in a vehement denial, "I can't stand living here, hearing everyone chatter about the latest trends, whose snogging who and all the blather that used to be so important, but seems so meaningless now! I want to be Queen again, I want to see Caspian again, and it hurts that I never will! It __**hurts**__, Peter, it hurts so much I could just __**die**__ from it!"_

_She lifted her face for the briefest of moments, a kaleidoscope of hues crossing it as she asked, "Why? Why is He doing this? What had we done to make Aslan punish us so badly?" _

_I didn't say anything, how could I? I was so close to giving up myself, but I just __**knew**__ that Narnia wouldn't forget us; I __**knew**__ that Aslan had a plan; so I just held her, letting her weep her last hope for Narnia onto my shoulder before she straightened, her cheerful, Susan-the-Adult face sliding into place like a mask._

_"Oh. I must look such a fright…" Brushing past me and to her vanity, she picked up a cloth and washed away all the traces of her make-up along with the Susan I once knew._

_Standing up, I watched as she applied a fresh coat of make-up, burying all her hurt and troubles under the paint and powder. I was saddened to know that she had left us, moved on to the world where talking animal and magical lands didn't exist._

_Placing a hand onto her shoulder, I saw her lean slightly into my touch as I whispered, "You're not the only one who is hurting, Su. Remember, I can't go back either, I know what you're going through-"_

_"Why, Peter," A slight break in her voice was the only thing that told me that her words weren't entirely the truth, "I haven't the foggiest idea what you're talking about… Could you be a dear and hand me my brush?"_

_Sighing, I handed her the enameled brush she had gotten way back when she still believed in our magical world and left, trying not to notice the fresh bout of tears gathering in her eyes as she caressed the handle of her constant reminder of a better place…_

There was nothing I could do now, Mother had finally picked up on the fact that we all lived as if a part of us was missing and decided the best course of action was to separate the four of us: Edmund and Lucy would be visiting our prig of a cousin, Eustace, Susan would be jet-setting around America and I would go to Professor Kirke's to study for my university entrance exams.

At first, I was annoyed that it had taken Mother this long to realize that there was something wrong with her children, but with Father's return from the war and all the care she had taken to making him feel at home after being in the middle of a battlefield after so long, I could forgive her oversight this once.

Edmund and Lucy had only mildly protested the fact that they were going to be staying with 'our berk of a cousin' before Mother laid into them about the importance of family and being happy that they were going anywhere.

"If family's so important, why don't you go?" Edmund had muttered mutinously; but, thankfully for him, Mother either didn't hear him or choose not to.

Susan had said nothing, merely nodded as she was told she got to go visit America, something that would've once had her jumping up and down, screaming for joy. Even Father picked up on the change in my eldest sister, but he said nothing as well, unsure how to deal with us after so long.

The tickets had been purchased, our laundry cleaned and put together, so now there was nothing left for us to do but to pack, so I made my rounds to my sibling's rooms to make sure they had put away everything they needed before starting in on my own things.

Edmund and Lucy were sitting on Edmund's bed, conversing in low, animated voices that immediately halted as soon as I entered. They had been doing that ever since Susan had told them to leave childish games in the past where they belonged and I didn't need to be a genius to know what they had just been talking about.

"You **can** talk about Narnia around me," I smiled, touched that they were so concerned about my feelings and worried that my only other connection to Narnia might be taken away, "I'm not going to break… I don't think…"

My teasing had Lucy running over to me with a look of utter joy on her face as she threw her little arms around my waist, head coming up to only a few inches above my stomach. "I was so afraid that you had forgotten, like Susan had!"

Edmund made a face like he was trying not to scowl as I said, "Susan hasn't forgotten, not really forgotten anyway. It's just that it hurts too much for her to remember everything that happened there and who she had to leave behind, so she pretends that it was just a game."

"Doesn't she know that **we** feel the exact same way?!?" Edmund burst out, startling both me and Lucy so much we jumped, "Is she so self centered that she thinks that **she's** the only one missing Narnia? The only one who had thought of that place as their home?!? You of all people-"

"Do **you** have to leave someone **you** loved behind?" I interrupted, my voice coming out sharper than I intended in my need to defend the pain that Susan was feeling.

Edmund's face clenched in a grimace of pain as he turned away from my accusing glare and even Lucy wouldn't meet my gaze as my heart dropped into my stomach, telling me all I needed to know.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I breathed, horrified that I had been so consumed in my own feelings that I had completely missed how my siblings had been coping. Maybe I could've convinced Aslan to let them stay, that they needed to be near the ones they loved…

"Because Susan had summed it up when she said good-bye to Caspian," It was Lucy who had spoke; her face nestled in my stomach, her words slightly muffled. "We were three hundred years older then them, we lived in different worlds, both there and here…"

I held out an arm for Edmund and, after a moment, he walked into it, putting an arm around Lucy as well. It was a while before he added to Lucy's statement, his voice also muffled as tears threatened to overcome him, "If only there was a way to make it so you and Susan come back… everything would be alright then… That's one of the main reason's we've been trying to go to Narnia, to ask Aslan if… you know…"

Once more touched by their concern, I squeezed my siblings tight to me, wishing that Susan could've heard this… I knew that it would make her feel a hundred times better. I slowly detached myself and smiled at their looks of confusion. "Wait here…"

I took off for Susan's room at the end of the hallway, knocked once and entered the room before she could answer; eager to share my news, eager to tell her of the sheer royalty our brother and sister had showed time and time again.

"Hey, Susan, you need to hear this!" I cried, bursting through the door as my hope soared like a balloon set free, "I-"

The horrible sight that greeted me made the words die on my lips, my hope sour in my stomach, and make me feel almost physically ill as I gazed at the sister who had once been called 'Susan the Beautiful' and had the entire world agree.

She had plastered her face with enough powder to make her skin look ghostly, rouge and lipstick making her lips and cheeks stand out horribly as mascara trailed tear tracks down the sides of her face. It was hard to believe this was the same woman who had gone through most of her life without any kind of adornment and still thought she was pretty.

"Look, Peter, look!" Her voice was broken, beaten, as she smiled crookedly at me, making the mask on her face crack as she asked, "Am I not beautiful? Didn't you and Edmund and Lucy used to call me that in the game we played?"

"Oh, Susan…" I fell to my knees, guilt overcoming me in waves as I saw what leaving Narnia had done to my sister. I **should** have asked Aslan to let them stay, made him make **me** stay in England for all eternity in exchange. I should have… I should have…

"Peter?" She got up and walked toward me, filling my vision with the consequence of thinking of only myself as she knelt beside; concern barely visible under all that paint. "What's wrong, Peter? Why are you crying?"

That was how Edmund and Lucy found us; my arms around Susan as I whispered fervently apology after apology, Susan embracing me back even though we could all tell that she was utterly confused. It took my younger siblings only a few minutes to pick up on what I had, also enveloping our bewildered sister in their embraces as well.

For I had realized, more like it had been shoved in my face, that it would take more magic, more faith, than the three of us possessed to bring the Susan we loved, the Susan trapped behind a mask of false smiles and parties, back home.


	3. A New Face

**Chapter Three: A New Face**

Finding Susan sprawled on her floor, covered in paint and powders in a desperate attempt at hiding her pain had happened three days ago, but the memory was still burning a hole in my mind's eye when I boarded the train headed toward Professor Kirke's house. I had said goodbye to my siblings at the station-Lucy with many tears, Edmund and Susan with half-smiles, although Edmund's was a little more, well, **real **than Susan's-before we all separated for the summer... for the first time since we were all born, actually...

It was an interesting feeling, both lonely and somehow liberating to be by myself for the first time in my life... It was such a unusual feeling that I hadn't realized that I wasn't the only one sitting in the compartment until the other occupant called out to me for what I'm sure was the fifth time. "Um, hello? Do you understand English?"

Jerking away from my thoughts, I moved my gaze from the window and the passing scenery that I wasn't really looking at, to the girl that called out to me: She looked about my age, had light brown hair, light blue eyes, very light skin and was overall a very pale person who was looking at me like she wasn't sure if I was going to jump at her or not; if I didn't know for sure that I was in England, I would swear to Aslan himself she was a wood nymph... An elm wood nymph...

She was holding out a small red canteen, shaking it slightly so I could hear that there was liquid in it, with a small, politely puzzled smile on her face as she quietly enunciated, "Are-you-thirsty? Do-you-want-a-drink?"

Feeling my face heat up from both the fact that the first girl I met outside my family thought I was slow and the fact that I had been staring at her for a while, imagining her as a magical creature, I somehow managed to stammer out, "N-no, thank you, I'm not thirsty."

"Ah, he speaks!" She had a nice laugh, as well as a nice American accent that I never heard before, making her cut her vowels a little. It was interesting to listen to, despite the fact that I only heard her speak a few words...

"Sorry about that," I smiled at her, trying to think of something to say before my mind took off again. Considering the fact that she seemed to be bored and decided that I was the best way to relieve that boredom, I had a good way to keep from going off into another Narnia induced daydream: We were the only ones in the compartment and, speaking from personal experience, staring out the window added to boredom, it didn't get rid of it. "I was just... thinking."

"Hmm..." It was a noncommittal noise that said she wasn't going to press for details and I was grateful for that. Living in Narnia for the years I had gave me a skill that I could use in England as well; I could read various forms of communication and could keep it going even if I didn't have any interest in it, though something told me that talking with this girl wasn't going to be like the boring conferences I normally had to sit through...

Thankfully, the girl was more than willing to switch the subject and prove my assessment of her, as well as peak my interest in the subject as well. "Well, it looked like it was a pretty big thought, so maybe you should think about something else; do you think dragons ever existed?"

It was a good thing that I had refused her offer of water before, or else I would have probably sprayed it all over the compartment and possibly even her. It was interesting that her first question involved magical creatures(something I actually had some knowledge of)and not what my name was, which was the norm for when one was questioning another... "What do you mean, 'do you think dragons ever existed'? What kind of question is **that**?"

She looked a little embarrassed at that, making me feel like a bit of a heel for asking the way I did, but she still pushed on with her question as she fiddled with a blue book that she picked up off the seat beside her. "It's a little odd, I know... I used to get teased for asking questions like that back home, but it's just something I do... So, dragons! What with all the stories that people make up about them, don't you think that there might be some kind of...well, **truth** to it? Maybe... maybe, someone saw one, somewhere, and they wrote a story about it... Maybe, maybe, people don't believe in them because it made the dragon so popular that it had to hide from everyone who wanted to hurt it...?"

As she spoke, the girl's eyes had lit up with a bright, hopeful light that made me almost want to tell her that 'yes, dragons **do** exist' and explain that there was even a magical land that housed more magical animals than a zoo, that I had **been** to that land and even been a **King** of it for some of the **best** years of my life... It was such an overwhelming feeling that I opened my mouth to say something, before the unbelievability of the whole thing hit me and made me snap my mouth shut with an audible _click_ that had the girl looking at me in curiosity.

"Um, maybe?" She still was looking at me in that politely puzzled way she had when she had offered me a drink, so I thought that perhaps the best way to get out of this was to take my turn changing the subject, so I asked the first question that had popped into my head, the question that we decided to completely overlook: "May I know your name? Because, as you know, most people introduce themselves before they start asking complete strangers random questions... My name is Peter, by the way, Peter Pevenise."

She turned a rather bright shade of pink before giggling and tucking her hair behind her ear, something telling me that was a nervous habit, for her hair was already pulled away from her face by a blue headband. "Of course, you're right about that... I just forget to do that sometimes; well, all the time, really... Sometimes I have two or three conversations were I completely forget to ask someone their name and just get their attention by yelling 'Hey, you!' at them or running up and grabbing their shoulder while saying 'Hey!' or 'What's up?' or something stupid like that... It drives some people... absolutely... bonkers... I still haven't told you what my name is, have I?"

I simply shook my head in denial, knowing that if I opened my mouth that I would burst out laughing at the eccentrics of the girl sitting across from me, and I did not want the girl to think that I was laughing at her(even if I was). She was red enough as it was and I did not want her to pass out due to a rush of blood to her face, considering the fact that the way she was sitting would have her passing out in my lap and then **I** would be the one that was embarrassed...

"It's Victoria. My name... is Victoria, I'm Victoria. Hi..." The pink had faded from her face, but she still looked embarrassed by her introduction, which was proven a second later when she dropped her face into her hands and muttered in a voice so muffled that I had to lean in to hear what she had said. "Wow, okay... I am now officially mortified and am going to pretend that the last few minutes haven't happened. Would you mind doing the same, please?"

"Would you mind if I remembered the part where I learned your name? That way we don't have to do the whole 'I'm Peter, I'm Victoria.' thing again...?" I asked, laying a hand on her knee to get her attention, to get her to look at me and see that I wasn't laughing anymore. She did peek up at me, slightly uncovering one of her pale blue eyes to show me half of her smile, almost as if she wasn't sure if she should show more or if she was sure that I would start laughing again. She looked so vulnerable like that, so much like we had before we all grew up-both in England and in Narnia-that it made me want to protect her, to make sure that she didn't end up like Susan did; hating the world to avoid getting hurt again. "Please?"

"Sure," She was looking at me like she wasn't sure what to think of me again, but this time I was pretty sure I knew why and couldn't find it in myself to really care... I wasn't sure how to explain it though, how to tell her without sounding like a complete and utter nutter, so I just gave her a half-smile that she returned. She raised her head away from her hands before freezing in her seat like a deer caught in the headlights of a car, a look of slight confusion and anticipation taking over her features, her eyes as wide as the saucers my mother used for fancy dinners. It took me only a few seconds to figure out the reason why she was looking at me like that:

We had been sitting across from each other for the entirety of the train ride and now I had leaned forward to hear her, then she had lifted her head up after I had pushed away her embarrassment, so we were sitting mere inches away from each other. I was struck again with how magical she looked, as if she had followed us out of Narnia and into England, stilling me where I sat just as she had been stilled. I was aware of every move she made, the way that she had drawn in a breath when she realized I noticed how close we were, and the way a single strand of her hair slipped past the headband to float against her face...

Why? Why did I feel like this? Was it because she made me feel protective? Was it because she reminded me of a land that I could no longer go to? Or was simply what my father called 'a young man's urges'? I had no idea and I didn't want to do anything before I found out, so I pulled away from Victoria as fast as I could without offending her and pretended not to hear the sigh that slipped past her lips as I put some distance between us.

Her eyes were hooded and she seemed a little confused, but one blink and she looked like she had before; bright and happy, with a slight blush on her cheeks. I felt guilty that I had let my confused feelings get the better of me, but just as I was about to change the subject again when the conductor's voice rang out that there was just one more stop before mine, so I just gave Victoria a smile and started to get my things from the luggage rack, only slightly surprised when I saw that she was doing the same thing on the other side of the carriage. We got our things together in silence, but it was a nice silence and neither one of us tried to break it.

It was amazing how a few hours ago I was miserable and upset about the fact that I would be away from the only people who knew about Narnia, as well as the siblings that I loved and admired, yet now I was actually looking **forward** to this summer and having a kind of adventure on my own...

The carriage rumbled into the station and Professor Kirke's maid stood there next to a woman that I had never seen before, but one that the maid apparently knew because of the way the woman was talking with her; stifled and slightly stand-offish with an air of familiarity that I had never thought the woman capable of. As the train finally coasted to a final stop, Victoria put a hand on my arm and questioned, "Will I see you around?"

I must have looked surprised, because she was quick to add on to her statement, "I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to and it doesn't have to do with what happened in the carriage..." A blush infused Victoria's cheeks again, reminding me how easy it was for her to be embarrassed and just how vulnerable she was, "I just feel like I need to get to know you better, that I was suppose to meet you... as crazy as that sounds. Never mind, it was stupid of me to ask, just forget I even said anything-"

She made to exit the train, struggling with a piece of luggage that was almost as big as her, when my hand shot out almost of its own accord and wrapped around her wrist so suddenly that it startled both of us. Victoria just barely kept a grip on her own luggage and mine missed her foot by mere inches, but I kept my grip on her arm-not too hard to bruise, but tight enough so that she wouldn't get away-and made her look at me, "Yes, yes, I want to see you again... I mean, I'll see you around. If you still want to, that is..."

Victoria laughed, breaking the tension that had sprung up and making me smile as well, before quipping, "Now it sounds like **you're** the one who wishes that this hadn't happened!" It made me laugh and soon we both going on like loons, tears streaming down our cheeks and everything. When the conductor came checking to see if the seats were empty and saw us laughing like that, he gave us this look like we were going to go running down the streets, screaming like mad men. It only made us laugh harder and pretty soon we were leaning on each other for support, nearly falling over in our glee...

"Victoria!"

"Aunt Polly!" Victoria went to raise her hand in greeting and I felt my hand lift as well; looking over, we saw that some time during our laughing fit, our hands had ended up clasped. It sent us howling off again as Victoria used both our hands to wave to her Aunt, which in turn caused her to laugh and wave as well. After a few silly minutes, we all got ourselves under control and made our way onto the platform, unraveling our hands as we did so. Professor Kirke's maid looked a little less than pleased at the interaction, but I couldn't find it in myself to care...

"Peter!" I turned and saw Victoria looking at me, eyes bright and cheeks pink, and instead of seeing a magical creature, I saw a girl who wanted to hang out with me. A girl who wanted to get to know **me**, Peter Pevenise, and who wanted this even after the awkwardness in the train. I smiled, knowing that before this summer was over, my life would change; maybe it would be even better than before, maybe I would finally feel like I could be **happy** again... "See you later?"

I smiled back even bigger, feeling my own cheeks warm and Miss Creedy's eyes on me; but yet again, I couldn't find in myself to care. I **wanted** this adventure, this new face in my life, and I wasn't going to give up just because we had a bumpy start... "See you later."

With matching smiles, we went our separate ways, somehow knowing that we would meet again. I was going to have something to tell Professor Kirke when I got to his house, and Victoria was already telling her Aunt about 'the nice boy' she met on the train, completely unaware that her bright, happy voice carried over to me...

"His name is Peter and he was **such** a gentleman, Aunt Polly!" A laugh followed this, coming from both her and her aunt, so it must have been some sort of private joke between the two of them, "He didn't even laugh at me when I put my foot in my mouth and you **know** how often I do that... He was looking out the window when I came in and he looked so down that I thought 'maybe I should talk to him!' and I had to call him _**five **__**times**_, but then he-"

Her voice faded around the bend after a little while and I rode in silence for a moment before Miss Creedy spoke for the first time since she picked me up, almost making me fall out of the buggy, "It seems that you've made a new friend, Mr. Pevensive."

"Yes, ma'am." Why was she bringing this up? Oh, Aslan, tell me I'm **not** going to get 'the Talk' from the **Professor's **_**caretaker**_! That talk was awkward enough when my **father **gave it to me, was awkward enough when **Mama** added her bit in and awkward enough when one of _**my **__**teachers**_ made sure that I knew of every single consequence that could happen from me being 'indiscreet'... Please, please, _**please**_, don't have Miss Creedy add her two cents in!

"I expect that she'll be visitin' the house sometime in the future?" Did that scowl mean that she was expecting us to be up to no good, or that she just was unhappy at the fact that I would be bringing another 'child' into her household? It was times like this when I wish I was still a King; I could just order her to tell me, instead of all this useless second guessing... I suppressed a snort at the thought of the look on her face if I ordered her to tell me what it was she was thinking... I'd probably give the old bird a heart attack!

"Yes, ma'am."

"I expect you to inform the Master before you have any guests, Mr. Penvenise."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And for you and the Missus to be on your best behavior and as quiet as mice when I have my ladies over."

"Yes, ma'am." _Was __that __it...?_

Apparently not, for Miss Creedy suddenly shifted in her seat; looking uncomfortable, but seemingly steeling herself for something that she did not want to do, Miss Creedy gave me one of her stoniest looks yet-which was saying something!-and began; "Mr. Pevenise, I know that you are a young male and your guest is a young female, and I understand that children these days are much less reserved than during my time-"

I dropped my face into my hands, much like my 'young female guest' had before, utterly embarrassed and completely unable to stop Miss Creedy from doing exactly what I had been dreading; giving me her own version of 'the Talk', complete with threats of what she would do to me if I had the audacity to leave the girl in 'a bad way'. I could no longer hold my tongue at that point, and pointed out that I had just **met** the girl and that I was _**not**_ that kind of boy. She simply said 'Good' while giving me the stink eye and continued on with her lecture.

This was going to be a **long** ride...

-0-0-0-

_A/N: I figured after the first chapters that you guys would want a bit of a laugh, so I added in a bit at the end. No, Victoria is **not** one of those Mary-Sues that Peter automatically falls in love with; he's just seeing things through rose colored glasses and I think he needs a friend for the summer he's at the Professor's house, considering that **is **where his adventures started and all... If Victoria receives positive feedback, I may give her a larger role; if not, she'll just pop up every now and again._

_As always, I would **love** to hear what you guys think!_


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